The utilization of a biomass feedstock as a light gas oil fuel, a jet fuel and the like is significantly effective for decreasing the emission amount of carbon dioxide. However, there is concern that a light gas oil fuel, a jet fuel and the like that are produced by utilizing a biomass feedstock would contain oxygen components and subsequently the oxygen components would exert a bad influence to an internal-combustion engine. Accordingly, there have been attempts to produce a hydrocarbon by directly hydrocracking a biomass feedstock by using a catalyst containing a porous carrier, such as alumina, having supported thereon Mo, to which a metal, such as Ni, is added for activating Mo (i.e., a NiMo catalyst) (see, for example, PTL 1 and NPLs 1 to 3).
PTL 1 and NPL 1 describe the production of hydrocarbons by hydrocracking a fat or an oil derived from a vegetable or an animal containing at least one of a triacylglycerol and a fatty acid by using a NiMo catalyst subjected to a sulfurization treatment in advance, and also describe that the selectivity of the reaction route of the deoxidation reaction is enhanced by controlling the Ni/Mo atomic ratio in the NiMo catalyst. NPL 2 describes the application of a NiMo catalyst subjected to a reduction treatment, but not a sulfurization treatment, to a triacylglycerol. However, the mass ratio (X/(X+Y)) of the nickel content (X) in terms of nickel oxide (NiO) to the sum of the nickel content (X) in terms of nickel oxide (NiO) and the molybdenum content (Y) in terms of molybdenum oxide (MoO3) described therein is only around 0.15, which is said to be optimal for a NiMo catalyst subjected to a sulfurization treatment in advance. NPL 3 describes the relationship between the reduction state of a NiMo catalyst subjected to a reduction treatment and the reactivity of the NiMo catalyst to a fat or an oil. However, NPL 3 does not describe or suggest the relationship between the mass ratio (X/(X+Y)) of the nickel content (X) in terms of nickel oxide (NiO) to the sum of the nickel content (X) in terms of nickel oxide (NiO) and the molybdenum content (Y) in terms of molybdenum oxide (MoO3) of the NiMo catalyst, and the reactivity of the NiMo catalyst to a fat or an oil.